Nawada (Bihar): In a veil attack at Governor Devanand Konwar, who is Chancellor of universities in Bihar, state Education Minister P K Shahi on Saturday said he was ashamed at rampant corruption and other malpractices prevailing in higher education in the state.

"Corruption is rampant in the higher education so much that the college and university teachers have to pay bribe for seeking promotion, transfer and other benefits. I am ashamed at it," he said at a function in the S K Memorial College here.

"I have no qualms in making a candid confession before you that students have to pay bribe for seeking enrolment in PhD classes," Shahi said.

The teachers too have to pay bribe for transfer, promotion and related benefits, the education minister alleged. NDA government has had a running feud with the Governor over several issues, including appointment of vice-chancellors and pro vice chancellors.

Interestingly, the education minister publicly rued unseemly aspects of the higher education on a day when the Chancellor appointed eight Vice-Chancellors to different universities with six of them being the same persons whose appointments were scrapped by the high court two months ago.

The state government on several occasions in the past had slammed the Governor for arbitrarily appointing VCs and Pro-VCs without holding consultations with it as per the provisions of the Bihar State Universities Act, 1976 and the Patna University Act, 1976.